Virat Kohli steps down from team India’s Test captaincy, months after leaving white ball leadership: In a most shocking development, Virat Kohli has abruptly opted to step down from his Test captaincy with immediate effect, a day after team India’s Test series loss against South Africa in Cape Town.
Virat Kohli took up the test reins from MS Dhoni back in 2015. He led the Indian team to the number one rank in the longest and the historic format of cricket.
The decision came months after Virat was sacked from his white-ball leadership by the BCCI. The Indian cricket board wanted just one skipper for the white ball duties and had to strip Virat from the captaincy of the ODI side.
Several experts have linked Virat Kohli’s all format resignation with the recently brewed Kohli-BCCI saga. The BCCI stripped Kohli from ODI captaincy, announcing Rohit Sharma as the new captain of team India in the limited-overs.
It must be noted that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly openly said that he personally asked Virat Kohli not to leave his T20I captaincy, however, the statement from Ganguly was openly opposed by the Indian skipper.
Virat distinctly specified that he got no such calls from the BCCI president. He further expressed his disappointment saying, he was told about his removal from the ODI captaincy just one and a half hours before.
The controversy that took the entire cricket fraternity to their toes, further moved up after chief selector Chetan Sharma said, “everyone who was present in the meeting asked him to reconsider” his decision when Kohli stepped down as T20I captain.
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Virat Kohli through a social media post informed everyone about his decision to quit the Test captaincy as well.
“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief. I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team,” wrote Virat Kohli on a social media post that confirms his quit from the test captaincy.
“I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward.”
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